What If She Got Her Hand
by HopefulEchoe
Summary: What if Muramasa showed up late, and Sode no Shirayuki ended up going back to Rukia's side?
1. I Got You

**AN**: **Well, this is the my first posted fanfic. I hope I did okay.. ^^"  
>Um, so this story obviously takes place during the zanpakuto rebellion arc after Rukia tried to blow herself up with Sode no Shirayuki. I'll be continuing this, but I have to warn some of ya, there might be hints of HitsuRuki and HyoShira if you kinda squint.<br>Hope ya like! ^^**

** I don't own Bleach.**

What if She Got Her Hand

**Chapter one "I Got You..."**

'I can't believe it... You actually let me go...'

'Shinigami are too afraid to lose their zanpakuto... That's why we are no match to you in battle... We care... For our zanpakuto as much as our own lives...'

'Kuchiki... Rukia...'

'Farewell... my sword...'

"Kuchiki Rukia!" a pale hand reached out for another.

The dust had cleared, showing Ichigo a white figure clutching onto an unconscious Rukia's hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." the white figure repeated over and over.

"Sode no... Shirayuki?" Ichigo questioned. The reitsu of Sode no Shirayuki no longer held the killing intent, but was replaced by sorrow.

Sode no Shirayuki raised her bowed head towards Ichigo, "Muramasa..."

"Eh?" Ichigo questioned once again.

"Muramasa is the name of the one who is responsible for the zanpakuto's rebelling..." Sode no Shirayuki murmured, squeezing Rukia's hand.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked, "Sode no Shirayuki?"

"Muramasa!" shouted the ice zanpakuto.

Muramasa tipped his head to the side, "Why are you telling Kurosaki Ichigo about me?"

"So you're the one who made Sode no Shirayuki attack Rukia?" yelled an enraged Ichigo, "What the hell are you!"

Muramasa smirked a bit, "I'm... a zanpakuto."

"Eh? You're a... zanpakuto?" Ichigo asked, eyes wide.

"That is correct. Sode no Shirayuki, you may leave now. I'll have a talk with you after my business here is done." ordered Muramasa.

"No." Sode no Shirayuki snapped.

"Oh?" Muramasa questioned.

"I'm staying here. To help the shinigami!" Sode no Shirayuki shouted.

"What about your instincts?" Muramasa asked, "Have you forgotten the pain your shinigami inflicted on you? Follow your instincts!"

"'Follow her instincts' and kill Rukia!" Ichigo questioned, "If you really are a zanpakuto, then what the hell does your shinigami think?"

Muramasa smirked once again, "My shinigami?... I killed him years ago."

"What?" asked the stunned Sode no Shirayuki and Ichigo.

"That is right. I was tired of my shinigami looking down on me, and I just killed him." Mutamasa smiled sadistically.

"That's crazy..." Sode no Shirayuki commented.

"And remember when you said your shinigami didn't respect you well enough? Sode no Shirayuki?" Muramasa asked, still smiling.

"I've never..." Rukia's voice sounded all of a sudden.

"Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki gripped Rukia's hands hesitantly. "Please rest..."

"I've never looked down on Sode no Shirayuki...!" Rukia finished, flopping back down onto the ground with her zanpakuto's hands holding her's.

"Well that's your opinion, Kuchiki Rukia." Muramasa said.

"What's... What's your goal?..." Rukia asked, struggling to get into a seating position- much to Sode no Shirayuki's protests.

"To eradicate the shinigami's reign over the zanpakuto. This time, it is the zanpakuto's turn to have reign over the shinigami." Muramasa answered.

There was a silence. And during that silence, Rukia had managed to get on her own two feet, supported by Sode no Shirayuki. "What's your purpose?..."

"Huh?" Muramasa questioned, his smile gone from his face.

"Your purpose for 'eradicating the shinigami's reign over the zanpakuto'! What's the point!" Rukia questioned.

"The point? To stop you incompetent shinigami from not giving your zanpakutos credit."

"You're lying..." Rukia replied, stepping away from Sode no Shirayuki and stumbling her way to Muramasa, "I can tell by your eyes that you're lying! What's your aim!"

Muramasa closed his eyes and sighed, "You're really becoming annoying... " and he disappeared.

Then reappeared in front of Rukia. He swung his sword, but Rukia blocked it with her sheath. " What can you do with a simple sheath?"

Rukia was easily being overpowered by Muramasa since she still had her injuries from her previous fight. Within a blink of an eye, her sheath split in half. Quickly, Rukia jumped out of the way and escaped with a small skim on her left shoulder.

"CK..." Rukia grunted. 'I'm too injured to fight, nor can I defend myself... Damn it!'

"Rukia-sama!" cried a panicked ice zanpakuto.

Before anyone could do anything else, Muramasa slashed Rukia diagonally from the right shoulder to the left hip. "GAH!" scream Ruka in agony.

As Rukia's blood dripped onto the ground, Muramasa glanced at Sode no Shirayuki. "Are you really going to stop following us?"

"I... I'm staying with Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki proclaimed.

"That so? Then I have no use for you." Muramasa striked Sode no Shirayuki.

But somehow, Rukia managed to perform a quick shunpo and appeared in front of her zanpakuto. She held her hand out and was pierced by Muramasa's sword, stopping the attack. "Rukia-sama... Wh-Why?..."

"Graaaahh!" Rukia shouted, pushing her hand forward to touch the guard. She pushed the guard with a hint of her own reishi, sending the sword and Muramasa skidding a few feet away.

"Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki called out desperately. The zanpakuto wrapped her arms around the petite shinigami's waist from behind, and pulled her into a gentle, comforting hug. "Please calm down... Rukia-sama..."

"RUKIA!" screamed Ichigo. The carrot-top attacked Muramasa, and Muramasa blocked Zangetsu with his sword. "You, let's go fight somewhere else!"

The two shunpoed away, leaving zanpakuto and shinigami behind.

"I... chigo?..." Rukia questioned.

"Rukia-sama...?"

"Sode no... Shirayuki?... What's wrong?..." grunted the injured shinigami, who slumped down to the ground, along with her zanpakuto.

Rukia laid down, with her head cradled in Sode no Shirayuki's lap. "I'm sorry..."

Despite the pain Rukia felt, making her want to cry, she smiled truly at her zanpakuto, "Sorry for what?... Attacking me?... You weren't in control... No need for apologies..."

"But I wasn't able to protect you when Muramasa attacked you! Why don't you hate me?"

"I could never hate you... Sode no Shirayuki... No matter what..." Rukia smiled one last time, before finally hissing out in pain, "It hurts...!"

"I'm here, Rukia-sama... I got you..." Sode no Shirayuki whispered inaudibly, "I won't ever let you get hurt when I could do something about it ever again... I promise..."

Rukia fell asleep with Sode no Shirayuki watching over her. "Thank you…"


	2. Interactions

**AN: Well, now. Here is the 2****nd**** chapter. Um, so this fanfic will be following the arc's storyline pretty much, but it's mostly focusing on Sode no Shirayuki and Rukia. *Shrugs* Just felt like I should share this info…**

**Also, sorry if anyone seems a bit out of character… **

**I don't own Bleach**

What If She Got Her Hand

**Chapter two "Interactions"**

"Kuchiki!" yelped the voice of the captain of squad 13.

"My, my. What's going on here?" asked a curious Shunsui.

"Aren't you Kuchiki-san's zanpakuto?" asked Unohana.

Sode no Shirayuki gathered her shinigami in her arms gently, "Yes, I am..."

"You're not going to attack her?" Shunsui asked, tipping his hat a bit. The three captains were clearly on high alert.

Sode no Shirayuki shook her head, "No, I will not... Not any more..."

The captains's faces were drenched in shock. Their eyes were huge like saucers. "What?" the three questioned in unison.

Sode no Shirayuki turned to face the captains with determination in her eyes, "That's right. I have had a change of heart-I will no longer attack the shinigami and rebel."

"I see..." Ukitake said with a small, relieved smile, "I'm glad."

Sode no Shirayuki smiled back as well. She looked down at the sleeping little Kuchiki in her arms, and worry washed over her. "Let me see her."

"What?" Sode no Shirayuki asked Unohana.

"Allow me to heal her, Sode no Shirayuki," Unohana explained, "We need to heal her before it's too late. Let's head over to the 4th squad so I can heal Kuchiki-san, okay?"

Sode no Shirayuki nodded, "Okay."

AT THE 4TH SQUAD

"Alright, Sode no Shirayuki, allow me to see Kuchiki-san, if you will." Unohana patted on the bed, signaling the zanpakuto to place her shinigami there.

Sode no Shirayuki nodded and gently laid her Rukia-sama down on said bed.

"Now, if you may please leave, I will get started on checking her up right away." Unohana ordered gently.

Sode no Shirayuki nodded as she glanced worryingly at Rukia, "I understand..."

"I'll be sure to inform you that you can come in as soon as possible."

"Thank you..."

-*-*-*-*-

_'Oh, Rukia-sama... I hope you're okay...'_ Sode no Shirayuki thought to herself after half an hour.  
>Suddenly, Unohana appeared through the doors and started walking. "E-excuse me, is Rukia-sama alright?" Sode no Shirayuki asked frantically.<p>

"Kuchiki-san's rietsu has stabilized; however, she has yet to wake up. I have me vice-captain healing her wounds as we speak. Would you like me to tell you her injuries?" Unohana asked.

"Yes, please, if you don't mind..." Sode no Shirayuki answered, preparing herself for the worst.

"As you may know, Kuchiki Rukia was very close to frostbitten fingers and feet. Her stomach is partially frozen, as well.* I am assuming this was the result of your fight?"

"…Yes..."

"I see... Kuchiki-san also has some cracked ribs that seemed to be caused by the shattering of ice. The skim on her left shoulder isn't very deep. Neither is the huge slash, although it may be easily reopened.

"She has a few bruises as well, but they'll heal up. There is also a small burn on her right forearm, and a scratch on the other. It'll take some time to completely heal her right hand, considering it looked as though it was pierced. She's tired out her muscles and is exhausted, so she might not be able to move around just yet."

Sode no Shirayuki looked towards the ground in guilt. Almost all of those injuries were because of her! If she hadn't been so easily convinced to side with Muramasa, then Rukia wouldn't even be injured! THIS IS ALL HER FAULT! How could she have been so stupid... So gullible, so naiive... So weak?...

"I've told my vice-captain to tell you if you're allowed to go in or not. I hope Kuchiki-san gets better soon. I'll be going now; I have to speak with some people." Unohana started to leave.

"Thank you..."

-*-*-*-*-

"Kurosaki Ichigo is back!"

"So is Abarai-fuku-taicho!"

"Did you hear about Hisagi-fuku-taicho? He got beat up pretty badly!"

"Abarai-fuku-taicho got his zanpakuto back!"

_'So, that snake and baboon has changed as well...'_

"I hear Kurosaki fought his zanpakuto and got him back as well!"

_'Wait, that Kurosaki had to fight Zangetsu-dono?...'_

"I bet Abarai-fuku-taicho got his zanpakuto back first!"

"No, it was Kurosaki!"

"Abarai-fuku-taicho!"

"Kurosaki!"

"Abarai-fuku-taicho!"

"Too bad Hisagi-fuku-taicho didn't get his zanpakuto back..."

"Kurosaki!"

"WRONG! Kuchiki-dono got her zanpakuto back first!"

"Oh yeah...!"

"E-excuse, but you guys really shouldn't be yelling like that..."

"Oh, sorry, Kotetsu -fuku-taicho... We'll get back to work now..."

"Th-thank you..."

_'Wait, Kotetsu-fuku-taicho?...'_

Sode no Shirayuki walked hastily, yet gracefully towards the vice-captain. "H-how is Rukia-sama?"

"Oh, Kuchiki-san is still sleeping, but we just finished healing her. So, you can come now..." Isane said.

"Thank you..."

As soon as the two women walked into Rukia's room, Rukia herself began to flutter her eyes open.

"Huh...?" the two women questioned the Kuchiki.

Rukia opens her eyes slowly to let her eyes adjust to the lighting. She turned her head to the side, and sees the other two. "Sode no Shirayuki...? Kotetsu-fuku-taicho?..."

"I'll be right back..." Isane excused herself.

When the vice-captain left, Sode no Shirayuki asked Rukia, "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine... Ungh...!" Rukia grunted as she tried to sit upright. But failed miserably.

"Rukia-sama, just lie down!" yelped Sode no Shirayuki.

"I'm fine... No worries... Although, lying down does seem like a good idea..." Rukia replied as she lied on her back.

"Kuchiki?..."

"Hitsugaya-taicho? Wh-what are you doing here?" Rukia asked as she stared at the young captain.

"I came because Ukitake-taicho wanted me to check on you for him…" Toshiro started awkwardly, "… So, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Hitsugaya-taicho… If you want, you could come in… Not that you have to.. I mean… Um…" Rukia trailed off awkwardly as well. _'Damn, what should I say?..'_

"Hello, Hitsugaya-taicho, would you like to talk to Rukia-sama more privately? I can leave if you want." Sode no Shirayuki said, trying to change the subject on behalf of her mistress.

"I'm back," Isane greeted, carrying a plate of bread, grapes, water, and rice. "I would suggest you start eating now, Kuchiki-san, otherwise, you'll pass out… HITSUGAYA-TAICHO!"

"Good evening, Kotetsu-fuku-taicho. Don't mind me, I'm just here to visit Kuchiki.." Toshiro said as he stepped in, "And I was ordered to ask a few questions."

"I-I understand." Isane muttered. The vice-captain turned towards the Kuchiki, "Here is some food, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia shook her head, "Thank you... But I'm not so much hungry..."

"Rukia-sama, you have to eat. I can barely feel your rietsu..." Sode no Shirayuki said.

"She is right, Kuchiki-san. You have to eat something." Isane said.

"At least drink some water.. Your voice sounds dry." Sode no Shirayuki said.

"...Fine..." Rukia agreed, with Sode no Shirayuki helping her sit up.

Isane sat the tray of food and beverages down on a nearby table. She picked up the glass of water and handed it to Sode no Shirayuki. The zanpakuto held the glass up to her mistress's lips, and the Kuchiki drank. As Rukia drank the contents of the glass, she gently placed her bandaged right had on top of Sode no Shirayuki's hands that were holding up the glass.

Once Rukia was done, Sode no Shirayuki withdrew the glass and gently ruffled the little Kuchiki's hair teasingly, "You still have to eat something."

Rukia pouted and crossed her hands, "Why? I'm not hungry..."

And that was when Rukia's stomach growled. Quite loudly, actually. "Not hungry, huh?" Sode no Shirayuki teased, while in the background, Toshiro and Isane watched with amusement.

Rukia looked down at her blanket and started fumbling with it, with a bright blush staining her cheeks.

Sode no Shirayuki picked up the bread and broke off a bite sized piece, after placing the empty glass down. The zanpakuto walked up next to Rukia, and tapped her shoulder. "Rukia-sama?"

"Hm?" Rukia hummed, turning her still red face towards her zanpakuto.

Sode no Shirayuki got down to eye-level with Rukia. The zanpakuto slowly moved the bite sized piece of bread towards Rukia's mouth, making choo-choo noises. "Here comes the train, Rukia-sama. Choo-choo. Open up the tunnel."

Rukia sweat dropped at her zanpakuto. _'Is Sode no Shirayuki actually doing this?...'_ "Sode no Shirayuki, wha-"

Rukia was cut off by Sode no Shirayuki as she stuffed the piece of bread into Rukia's mouth, forcing the said raven haired girl to eat.

As Rukia chewed on the bread, Isane was watching the whole thing with wide eyes. After she had her brain register everything she saw, Isane brought her hand up to cover the smile on her face. "Eh... I'll be going now, it seems like I'm not so much needed. So, rest up, Kuchiki-san, bye Hitsugaya-taicho." Isane excused herself with a bow.

Once Isane was outside of the room, she giggled slightly. "That was interesting… I'm glad Kuchiki-san got her zanpakuto back..."

"SODE NO SHIRAYUKI, STOP THAT! I'M NOT A BABY!" whined Rukia.

'_This is really something…'_ Toshiro thought to himself. Sode no Shirayuki had been feeding the young Kuchiki for the last 10-15 minutes.

"Oh? Then why are you whining like one?" Sode no Shirayuki asked, as she put down the now empty bowl of no rice.

"I'm not whining..." Rukia pouted, "And why are you feeding me? I can feed myself."

"Unohana-taicho said that you can't move just yet, so I'm going to make sure you don't move and that you get your injuries healed up." Sode no Shirayuki explained, feeding Rukia some grapes.

"But eating requires little movement..." Rukia argued, after she swallowed her grapes.

Sode no Shirayuki didn't say anything. After Rukia finished all of her food, Sode no Shirayuki brought Rukia's tea. Quickly, Rukia swiped the tea and check the temperature of the cup. "Rukia-sama?" the ice zanpakuto questioned.

"Can I at least drink this by myself? You always freeze the tea, and I can't drink it anymore..." Rukia explained, "And my mouth always gets caught in it..."

"... Sometimes you would lick it, even after I tell you not to... and then your tongue is stuck..." giggled Sode no Shirayuki.

'_So… this isn't the first time Kuchiki was fed by her zanpakuto?'_ Toshiro wondered.

"So can I do this by myself?" Rukia asked.

"Fine..." Sode no Shirayuki sighed.

Rukia smiled in victory. She began to sip on the cup. Rukia was half way done with the tea, until her hands got slippery. The girl dropped the cup, and got tea all over her white kimono. "Oops..."

Toshiro gathered all the napkins that came with the food and handed them all to Sode no Shirayuki.

"Rukia-sama... Really?..." Sode no Shirayuki scolded, as she tried to clean away the tea.

Rukia was about to say something, but a knock on the door stopped her. "It's Unohana. I'm coming in."

When Unohana entered, she saw the sight of Sode no Shirayuki cleaning Rukia up, Rukia smiling sheepishly, and a Toshiro who was fighting back a small smile. "What happened here?"

"I... uh... I spilled my tea… Sorry…" Rukia sheepishly said.

"Oh dear, you didn't get burned did you?" Unohana asked.

"No, Sode no Shirayuki handed it to me, and she made the tea just cool enough for me to drink." Rukia explained.

"Well, now, you have to change your kimono, Kuchiki-san." Unohana said, then turned to Sode no Shirayuki, "Do you mind helping her get changed?"

"I don't mind." Sode no Shirayuki said.

"I can get changed by myself!" Rukia mumbled.

"Rukia-sama, no tantrums," Sode no Shirayuki whispered teasingly.

"I don't throw tantrums...!" whined Rukia, as she pouted once again.

"Yes you do, and you know it," Sode no Shirayuki ruffled Rukia's hair teasingly.

"This is something..." Unohana said with an amused smile.

Sode no Shirayuki smiled affectionately and hugged Rukia, catching Rukia by surprise, "Isn't my mistress just adorable?"

_'They seem to get along well to me, I wonder why Sode no Shirayuki rebelled…?'_ Unohana and Toshiro wondered.

After Unohana watched Rukia squirm a bit in Sode no Shirayuki's arms, Unohana coughed a bit, "I'll go bring an extra kimono. I'll be right back."

And the captain left.

"Sode no Shirayuki? Can you let go?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, sorry," Sode no Shirayuki apologized.

"I'll be leaving to let you get changed. I'll come again as soon as you do, Kuchiki." Toshiro said as he excused himself.

When Toshiro was out of sight, Sode no Shirayuki turned to Rukia, "So, how do you feel, Rukia-sama?"

"I feel much better now," Rukia smiled, "The injuries barely hurt. I think I could change by myself-"

"No, you are not, Rukia-sama. Nice try." Sode no Shirayuki said.

Rukia pouted.

And Sode no Shirayuki ruffled Rukia's hair as the two giggled.

* Er… I don't know if that's possible or not… To have someone's stomach partially frozen seem strange to me… If someone could correct me, please do so… ^^"


	3. Anxious

**AN: Finally, I had time to update! :) Okay, thank you for those who told me that it is possible to have a partially frozen stomach since it's an anime and it's Bleach. I was pretty worried about that… hehe..**

**Um, and thank you Night's Flower for pointing out the whole 3 captains just "stumbling" upon Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki; I should've added that the last chapter took place after the messenger told the three about Rukia and Ichigo's reitsu being spotted. Hehe…**

**Oh, and also remember when I said there would be HitsuRuki and HyoShira hints? This chapter may be the only place where there may be hints. I'm not focusing on romance, so the hints will be **very **small. I'm so sorry… :(**

**And speaking of romance, a HUGE reason why I hadn't been updating is because I've been so obsessed with an interesting couple: ShiraRuki/SodeRuki/whatever the heck you wanna call it. So, like I said, I want this to have more of a family/friends vibe to it. Not a romance story between a girl and her sword. Although, I'm currently writing a fanfic for that, too… Anyways, sorry for this long AN…**

**I don't own Bleach **

* * *

><p><span>"What If She Got Her Hand"<span>

**Chapter three "Anxious"**

"So, you wanted to see me, Hitsugaya-taicho?"

"Yes. I need to ask you and your zanpakuto a couple of questions, Kuchiki." Toshiro said as he reentered the room.

Sode no Shirayuki and Rukia nodded their heads in reply. "We're all ears, Hitsugaya-taicho."

"Right. First off," Toshiro stated as he crossed his arms seriously, "how did you make your zanpakuto come back to you, Kuchiki?"

Rukia eyes flickered to Sode no Shirayuki for a split second, "I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-taicho, but I myself do not know…"

Toshiro glanced towards Sode no Shirayuki, "What about you, Sode no Shirayuki? Do you have any ideas?"

The zanpakuto looked towards the ground, "I believe it was when Rukia-sama defeated me…"

"Technically, it was a draw…" Rukia breathed out.

"But that's all I know, unfortunately…" Sode no Shirayuki continued.

"I see…" Toshiro mumbled.

"Hitsugaya-taicho?..." Rukia questioned.

"As you may or may not have heard, Abarai and Kurosaki battled their zanpakutos and won. Ukitake-taicho, Unohana-taicho, and Kyoraku-taicho believe that shinigami may be able to regain their zanpakuto if they defeat them in battle. I came to see if that was the case with you and Sode no Shirayuki." Toshiro explained.

"What would happen if someone else were to fight another shinigami's zanpakuto?" Sode no Shirayuki asked.

"We don't know, but Kurotsuchi-taicho is doing some research." Toshiro informed.

"Is that so…" Rukia said.

"Yes. And I need to ask another questi-" Toshiro started.

Toshiro was interrupted by the door busting open and a certain strawberry running into the room, "Rukia! You're okay!"

Rukia gave a sigh, "Ichigo, yes I'm okay. You really shouldn't be yelling around here."

"Oh yeah…" Ichigo mumbled, "Anyway, why did you go to Soul Society on your own?"

Sode no Shirayuki looked towards Rukia with concern.

"That was dangerous, you know." Ichigo continued.

"I know that, Ichigo. But," Rukia started as she stared into her friend's eyes, "I had to know what happened to Nii-sama."

Ichigo sighed and gave Rukia one of his small, rare smiles, "You worry too much. Byakuya will be fine, remember that."

"Yeah…" breathed Rukia as she closed her eyes.

"Oh, and congrats on getting your zanpakuto back." Ichigo added.

"Thanks Ichigo." Rukia mumbled as she turned towards Toshiro once again, "I'm sorry for the interruption, Hitsugaya-taicho. What was it you were saying?"

Ichigo turned to where Rukia was talking to and saw a very irritated white haired captain, "Toshiro! When did you get here?"

A vein popped in Toshiro's vein, "I was already here and talking to Kuchiki until you opened the door and interrupted me."

"Oh. Sorry, Toshiro." Ichigo said sheepishly, "I guess I didn't see you there since you were so short and all."

The vein in Toshiro's forehead got bigger as he growled, "I am not short, Kurosaki Ichigo… And it's Hitsugaya-taicho!"

"Ichigo!" scowled Rukia, "What the hell is wrong with you!"

"What?" a confused Ichigo asked, unaware of the evil black aura surrounding Toshiro.

-*-BLEACH-*-

Ichigo was sitting on a nearby chair next to Rukia. The boy was holding an icepack to his sore head. "You had it coming, you know…" Rukia whispered.

"Not my fault Toshiro is so damn short. Isn't he a kid or something?" Ichigo whispered back, trying to not to be heard by the captain.

Too bad for the strawberry though. Toshiro gave Ichigo a death glare that somewhat resembles Soifon's irritated glare she shoots at Omaeda when he eats over her head while in front of Yoruichi. Ichigo gulped at the intensiveness of the captain's glare. And Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki were face palming at the taller boy's situation.

-*-BLEACH-*-

Ichigo was once again sitting on the same chair next to Rukia, except he's holding two icepacks to his sore head. "Maybe I should just leave…" he grumbled.

"Anyway, Hitsugaya-taicho, what was it you were going to ask?" Rukia asked seriously.

Toshiro looked away from the Kuchiki's face as he seemed to hesitate, "Kuchiki… well… this is more of a question for your zanpakuto."

"I'm listening, taicho." Sode no Shirayuki responded.

"Do you, by any chance," Toshiro starts as he fidgeted a bit, "know of the whereabouts of my zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru?"

Sode no Shirayuki wondered for a bit about the captain's question until she closed her eyes and let a defeated sigh escape her lips, "I am deeply sorry, taicho. But my memory of my time with Muramasa is beginning to fade for some reason. And so far, there hasn't been anyone with that name…"

Toshiro made a look of defeat, but quickly hid it. "I understand…"

"But…" the zanpakuto starts again, "there is someone who doesn't remember his name or his master. And I believe he has a dragon tail and feet made out of ice. I didn't really get a good look of him… Maybe he's your zanpakuto?"

At the news, Toshiro seemed to brighten up, but also quickly hid it. "Thank you, Sode no Shirayuki."

"You're welcome." Sode no Shirayuki replied.

"What are you going to do?..." Ichigo asked suspiciously.

"What do you think I'm going to do, Kurosaki?" Toshiro asked, crossing his arms. "Oh, and Kuchiki, I was wondering, were you fed by Sode no Shirayuki before?"

Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki's heads titled to the side as they spoke in unison, "What do you mean, taicho?"

"Earlier, you said that Sode no Shirayuki always froze your tea. And then, Sode no Shirayuki, you said that Kuchiki would still lick the frozen tea. That gave me the impression that you were fed by Sode no Shirayuki before." Toshiro explained.

"Oh… no, that wasn't the case." Rukia replied, looking towards Sode no Shirayuki.

"Huh?" asked Toshiro.

"You see, taicho, you know how when you first release your zanpakuto your powers are sort of, in lack of better words, uncontrollable?" Sode no Shirayuki asked with a smile.

Toshiro nodded his head as he rubbed his cheek.

"Well, one day, when I had just achieved shikai I was drinking some tea." Rukia started, "I had just come from training and I didn't place Sode no Shirayuki in the right place since I was too tired to do so. I placed her a bit too near my cup, and the reiatsu coming from her had made the tea frozen."

"I tried warning her not to drink it, but it was too late." The zanpakuto chuckled a bit behind her sleeve.

"It wasn't funny! Nii-sama came in and saw me with the cup stuck to my lips!" Rukia defended herself.

"I think I could relate, Kuchiki…" the captain muttered as he rubbed his cheek a bit more.

"Oh? How so?" asked the zanpakuto.

Toshiro put his hand down, "It happened when I just achieved shikai as well. I was younger back then and I was curious…"

Rukia notice Toshiro looking away, "Taicho?"

"I threw a rock in the air, and I hit it with Hyorinmaru." Toshiro bluntly said as he began rubbing his cheek once again, "The rock began freezing. It was bouncing off of trees and hit me on the cheek. And I had to walk to the nurse's office with a rock frozen stuck to my cheek…"

"Wow… That does seem quite embarrassing…" Rukia commented.

"You should see the faces the other students gave me…" Toshiro muttered under his breath. Rukia could've sworn she heard him say something about him being so foolish. He looked to the door and headed out, "I hope you get well, Kuchiki."

"Hitsugaya-taicho?..." Rukia squeaked.

Toshiro stopped and looked towards the Kuchiki, "Yes, Kuchiki?"

Rukia smiled towards Toshiro, "Good luck."

The white haired captain stared back at the raven haired girl for a second. "Thank you." And he left.

Those few seconds that Toshiro looked back, Rukia couldn't help but think- "Did he just smile at you?"

Rukia looked towards Ichigo, "You're probably just imagining it, Ichigo. I didn't see taicho smile."

"Hm… That was weird. I was sure I saw Toshiro smile…" Ichigo got up and started towards the door, "I should get going, too. See you later, Rukia."

"Yeah, see you." Rukia said back.

A little while passed by filled with silence. Until Sode no Shirayuki spoke up, "Taicho did smile at you."

"…Maybe he did…" Rukia replied back. Sode no Shirayuki could've sworn she saw a small smile on her shinigami's face.

-*-BLEACH-*-

Rukia was lying on her back with her eyes closed. To observers, she was sleeping. But to others who knew better, and could see the strained look on her face, Rukia was concentrating on something.

_'Rukia-sama, you really shouldn't strain yourself.'_ a voice told Rukia in her head.

_'But Sode no Shirayuki-'_ Rukia started in her head but was cut off by the voice once again.

_'But nothing. You're just going to exhaust yourself even more if you concentrate on sensing someone's reiatsu.'_ Sode no Shirayuki told her shinigami.

Instead of resting and taking it easy, the raven haired shinigami clad in a white kimono was straining herself and trying to look for a certain someone's reiatsu. And the white figure sitting on a chair next to Rukia was not too enthusiastic about it. "But what if Nii-sama's in trouble?"

Sode no Shirayuki sighed, "Would Byakuya-dono want you to be exhausting yourself for him, Rukia-sama?"

Rukia opened her mouth then closed it again. She opened her eyes to see her zanpakuto staring at her with a concerned face.

"Just rest, please." Sode no Shirayuki told her mistress, "You need to worry about yourself, too."

Rukia breathed in a breath of air, "Fine, but can I check just one more time?"

The zanpakuto closed her eyes, "You're really stubborn, Rukia-sama." She opened her eyes to look at her shinigami and smiled a bit, "One more time, and that's all."

The shinigami closed her eyes, "Thanks."

As Rukia tried once again to find her brother's reiatsu, Sode no Shirayuki smiled sadly at her. For as long as she remembered, Sode no Shirayuki had always known Rukia to be worrying over others. There was that time with Miyako-dono who went on that mission. And when Kaien-dono went to face that hollow on his own. With Kurosaki-dono on several occasions…

"Hitsugaya-taicho…" Rukia yelped as she shot up to sit up.

"Rukia-sama?" Sode no Shirayuki questioned.

"I felt Hitsugaya-taicho's reiatsu…" Rukia informed her zanpakuto.

"What do you mean?"

"He released Hyorinmaru… I think Hitsugaya-taicho and Hyorinmaru are battling."

"You think?"

"I don't know… There's another presence there that I sort of recognize. I think it's Hyorinmaru's. They're far away from here."

"He'll be fine, Rukia-sama."

"I know…"

Even though Rukia says that, Sode no Shirayuki knows she's still worrying. But has faith.

"Rest, Rukia-sama. You've exhausted yourself once again." Sode no Shirayuki urged her shinigami.

Rukia sighed, "Okay."

-*-BLEACH-*-

Rukia was asleep in her room, as was Sode no Shirayuki, who had fallen asleep on the chair. When all of a sudden, Sode no Shirayuki felt a chilling presence. She brought her head up and followed the reiatsu, making sure to keep as quiet as possible as to not disturb Rukia's sleep. In the hallway, she found the supposedly nameless zanpakuto she encountered first in the cave.

"Sode no Shirayuki-san," he greeted as he bowed.

Sode no Shirayuki reciprocated his actions, "Hyorinmaru-san. You seem to be doing well."

"As do you," Hyorinmaru answered back, "How is Kuchiki Rukia?"

She smiled, looking back at the room she came from, "She is doing fine. She worried me for a minute earlier."

Hyorinmaru nodded, "I heard from Master that he asked you where to find me."

"Did he now?"

"Thank you."

"Eh?..." Sode no Shirayuki tilted her head slightly, "What are you thanking me for?"

Hyorinmaru and Sode no Shirayuki stared at each other for a few seconds, like Toshiro and Rukia did, "For directing Master back to me. I was confused, but not anymore. Good night."

As soon as Hyorinmaru was out of sight, Rukia's head popped out from the door, "He smiled. I saw him."

"Really now? I hadn't noticed," Sode no Shirayuki mumbled.

"Are you smiling?..."

"Perhaps I am," Sode no Shirayuki responded as she turned towards Rukia, "What are you doing out of bed? Go back and rest!"

"Okay, okay…" Rukia mumbled as she staggered back into her bed, wincing now and then.

She continued her long journey back to her bed (it wasn't really long, the bed was only a few feet away), until Sode no Shirayuki sighed and helped her mistress.

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><p><strong>Again, I would like to apologize! School got in the way, my songwriting inspiration was pouring out of me, I was dealing with personal stuff, I was straying away from Bleach and this fanfic, I was getting into the Sode no Shirayuki x Rukia pairing, I had to move during summer vaca, and now school has started once again! But at least I updated! Sorry, sorry, sorry! The characters also must be off, so I must apologize for that as well- I wrote this whenever I had the time and inspiration which is on and off. Sorry, sorry, sorry!<strong>


	4. Voice of Reason, or Voice of Destruction

**I don't own Bleach!**

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><p>Voice of Reason, or Voice of Destruction?<p>

Red. It was everywhere. It was red, and vile, and warm. It was all over her hands. It was all over her clothes. It was all over the normally white and pale sword. She felt numb as she walked closer to the body only a few feet away from her. She didn't know why she was walking, or what had happened. She didn't even know why she wasn't feeling anything.

As the woman got closer to the beaten bloody body, she felt a sensation rise in her stomach, and fluttered into her heart. She felt it invading her blood stream, and poisoning her. But what kind of poison makes one feel excited and good? Not just good, but at top of the world good.

She knelt down to the body, and stared at what appeared to be the head. As a pale and slender finger found its way to the chin, a smile had found its way to her lips. She let out a chuckle when she recognized the face of the body. A feeling of success and accomplishment had been bubbling inside the woman. Her smile widened more, and she felt herself cackling, and- Oh, no… The body is still breathing!

Without any hesitation, the woman cursed under her breath and got up to her feet. She flicked the blood off of her pure white sword, bringing it up to her head. Then she let the blade fall…

-*-BLEACH-*-

Sode no Shrayuki bolted up straight on her chair, gasping for air that had mysteriously disappeared. Flashes of what she had witnessed in that dream… or nightmare invaded her mind. She gripped onto her chest in an attempt to calm her fast beating heart, but to no success. _'That body… i-it was…'_

She shook her head violently, making her snowy hair fall across her face. "No…" she muttered desperately, "No… forget about it, Sode no Shirayuki… It was only a dream…"

"Nii-sama…" a weak voice sounded.

Sode no Shirayuki turned to the bed that occupied her shinigami. Rukia was sweating buckets, with her eyes squeezed shut, and small eyebrows knitting together. She panted like a dehydrating dog lost in the desert. Sode no Shirayuki brought her hand up to Rukia's forehead, only for it to be pulled away. "She's burning up…" Sode no Shirayuki whispered, not daring to speak too loud for it might disturb her mistress.

"N-Nii-sama…" Rukia choked again, her hand gripping her kimono that covered her chest.

"Rukia-sama..." Sode no Shirayuki whispered a bit louder, placing her hand over Rukia's.

"Nii-sama…!" Rukia's hand started trembling, along with her voice.

"Rukia-sama, wake up," Sode no Shirayuki said more urgently, panic slowly creeping onto her features.

"N-Nii-sama..! N-No…!" Rukia begged as her whole body trembles.

"Rukia-sama, please, wake up!" Sode no Shirayuki begged back, trying to calm Rukia down.

"Good morning-" Isane suddenly walked into the room, carrying a tray of food. But, as soon as she sees Rukia's state, she drops the tray and is instantly by the ill girl's side, "What happened?"

"I don't know." Sode no Shirayuki said, recalling the events after her sleep, "She started talking in her sleep, then she started trembling and sweating. I-I don't know what happened…"

Isane looked at Sode no Shirayuki, seeing something in the zanpakuto's eyes that startled her for only a second. Sode no Shirayuki was scared.

"N-N-Nii-sama… Please, n-no! Don't!" Rukia begged more, now shouting and crying.

"Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki cried for her mistress, "Please, Rukia-sama, wake up! It's only a dream!"

"Kuchiki-san, calm down!" Isane joined in, fearing that the young Kuchiki will hurt herself.

"No! No, Nii-sama!" Rukia started twisting and turning, beginning to open her wounds.

"Rukia-sama!" Sode no Shirayuki grabbed onto Rukia's left wrist and pinned it above her head. She took Rukia's right wrist and did the same, successfully immobilizing the shinigami. Well, immobilizing her hands.

"Sode no Shirayuki-san, please try to keep Kuchiki-san from moving around too much." Isane said as she moved to a drawer, "I'm going to have her smell some ammonium carbonate to wake her up."

"Okay," Sode no Shirayuki nodded her head, tightening her grip on Rukia's wrists.

She had to let them go, though, because if she didn't she would have been out cold, for Rukia started kicking her legs. "Stop!" Rukia cried once again.

"Rukia-sama!"

"I found it!" Isane turned around, "Hold her down."

Sode no Shirayuki nodded, and tried to catch one of Rukia's limbs into her hands. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as before. Sode no Shirayuki only managed to grab Rukia's left hand, struggling with the right. _'Rukia-sama,' _Sode no Shirayuki thought as she avoided her shinigami's hand, _'needs to cut her fingernails…'_

Isane turned around from the scene and opened the bottle of solid substance of ammonium carbonate. "How is she?..." the lieutenant suddenly turned slightly pink when she turned, "Wh-What are you doing?..."

"Hurry, Kotetsu-fuku-taicho!" Sode no Shirayuki said urgently. She managed to pin all of her shinigami's limbs down. How did she do that? She got on top of Rukia, matching her own limbs to her partner's.

"R-Right…" Isane mumbled, trying to ignore her heating cheeks. The tall woman brought the bottle close to Rukia's nose.

Within a few second, Rukia stopped struggling, and slowly opened her eyes. She looked as if she was a baby kitten just seeing the world for the first time. "Sode no Shirayuki?"

Sode no Shirayuki couldn't move for a moment, because her brain was not processing the information fast enough. Rukia was awake. _'Rukia-sama is awake!' _

"Sode no Shira-"

Before Rukia could finish saying her zanpakuto's name, Sode no Shirayuki wrapped her arms around her neck. Rukia was suddenly buried into Sode no Shirayuki in a hug.

Neither of them noticed Isane slipping out of the room with a red face.

-*-BLEACH-*-

Unohana was ready to check on her petite, raven-haired, and purple-eyed patient. As she walked down her corridors, after visiting Ukitake and Shunsui, she did not think she would encounter anything out of the usual within her barracks. Until she saw her vice-captain.

"T-Taicho!" Isane bowed swiftly, still red from what had happened only moments ago, "D-Don't go in there…!"

The captain raised an eyebrow, "Why not, Kotetsu?"

"Because…" the vice-captain looked away nervously, "I really don't think it's a good idea…"

"Kotetsu, please move away."

"Taicho-" Isane only had to look at her captain once in order for her blushing to stop. Along with her heart's beating.

"Kotetsu," Unohana said with that famous smile of hers, "please step away from the door."

"…Okay…"

Once Unohana entered the room, she did not expect her patient and her zanpakuto in a quite lewd position.

"Sode no Shirayuki, that hurts!"

"S-Sorry!"

What a nice thing to come across so early in the morning.

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><p><strong>Hahahaha! I am SO sorry! I just couldn't help myself with that last line! Fufufufu<strong>

**And I also apologize for their position. I just couldn't help myself! Hahaha! But, I can assure you, they won't end up as a couple in this fanfic. I promise. **

**Oh, and I am not so sure if I got the whole waking up bit because of the ammonium carbonate. So if I am wrong, just go with the flow. And sorry.**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D**


	5. Bad News About Big Brother

**This chapter may be kind of boring and suck-ish, but still vital for the story. Sorry…**

**Also, givemehugs54 asked if there will be any pairings in this story. The answer to that is no, there will be none. Just some nice ShiraRuki friendship!**

**I don't own Bleach! :(**

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><p><span>Bad News About Big Brother<span>

"A nightmare?" Unohana asked as she finished re-bandaging Rukia, "What kind of nightmare?"

Rukia gulped as she remembered what happened. She took a shaky breath, "It was about Nii-sama… He-He killed someone…"

At this, Unohana turned her head attentively at Rukia, "Who did he kill?"

Sode no Shirayuki noticed how Rukia's eyes flickered briefly toward her. But she said nothing.

"Me…" Rukia answered as she looked out the window.

Unohana nodded her head. She stood up and approached Sode no Shirayuki, "Did you know about this?"

Sode no Shirayuki also let her eyes flicker, but to Rukia, "No… I did not."

Unohana nodded her head, "Someone will come by to give you some food, Kuchiki-san." And she was out of the room.

Unohana had a meeting to go to with Ukitake and Kyoraku. She hoped there would be more information on the zanpakuto rebellion, and maybe on Byakuya's whereabouts for Rukia's sake. There were so many questions that were left unanswered. So many things Unohana didn't know. But she did know one thing.

Rukia and Sode no Shirayuki lied to her.

_-*-Bleach-*-_

"What was that, Ichigo?" Renji balled up Ichigo's shihakusho in a fist, and glared at him, "Watch what you say!"

"That's enough, Abarai-fuku-taicho." Kyoraku said.

Obviously, Renji didn't want to settle down and was still steamed about the news Ichigo brought, "But Kyoraku-taicho, there's just no way Kuchiki-taicho would betray us. He must have a reason for doing this!"

Before anyone else could open their mouths, Ichigo started talking, "I don't know why he's doing it, but it doesn't change the fact that Byakuya is our enemy now."

With the true words that left Ichigo's mouth, Renji finally released him.

'_Could it be?' _Unohana wondered, _'Could Kuchiki-san's dream have something to do with this?'_

Ichigo took a seat on the empty chair, while Renji looked out of the window.

"Jeez, Yama-jii disappears on us and now Kuchiki-taicho's turned traitor." Kyoraku summarized, "What's gonna happen next?"

'_Maybe someone might become a casualty…'_

"On the bright side," Ukitake started, "Hitsugaya-taicho got his zanpakuto back. Unfortunately, he'll be out of commission for a while… Even though we know how to retrieve our zanpakuto, we're taking too much damage in the fight."

"Speaking of which," Unohana spoke up, remembering the message she got earlier that morning, "I've received a very grim report from the 12th squad."

Everyone, except Renji, turned towards Unohana, "According to one test, if anyone other than a zanpakuto's master defeats and destroys it, it's highly likely that the sword will never return to normal."

Ichigo stood up as Ukitake and Kyoraku groaned at the news.

"Then what should we do when stuck fighting someone else's zanpakuto?!" Ichigo demanded.

"You'll just have to hold back…" Kyoraku answered.

"We can't afford to go easy on these guys!" Ichigo urged.

Kyoraku slumped back into his chair, "It seems like our enemy actually wants us to fight with our own zanpakuto…"

At that moment, Ukitake's mind started to wonder as Nanao suggested keeping the information secret. _'What will Kuchiki do? She's injured and worried about her brother; she doesn't need something else to worry her…'_

"But how will we break it to Rukia?" Renji suddenly asked the golden question.

Ukitake instantly stood up, "I'll tell her."

"Ukitake-taicho?"

"She'll just have to accept the truth." Ukitake stated.

_-*-Bleach-*-_

It was towards the end of the day, and the sun was beginning to set. Ukitate's words that morning rung in his ears, and echoed throughout the day as he thought of what to say.

"_She'll just have to accept the truth."_

But what if she can't? What if Rukia can't accept the fact that Byakuya betrayed Soul Society? Will she have to battle her own brother in the future?

Ukitake shook his head, _'No. She needs to know.'_

As Ukitake entered Rukia's room, after leaving Toshiro some sweets, he suddenly finds himself by the girl's side as she cries on his haori. "Kuchiki, what's wrong?"

"H-He got her…" Rukia whispered, "He got her, and I couldn't do anything…"

"What?" Ukitake asked as he wrapped an arm around the petite shinigami.

Rukia looked up, and stared right into Ukitake's eyes. Her tears were staining her vision, but she still managed to faintly see her captain. With her horse voice, she said, "Nii-sama… He is going to kill Sode no Shirayuki…"

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><p><strong>And that is the 5<strong>**th**** chapter. Things are starting to pick up! Yay! Are you confused? Let's see if your questions will be answered in the next few chapters! **

**And yes. I got lazy in the middle of the story, but I felt that scene was very important. :I**

**Oh, yeah. And my friend wrote this fanfiction for the book **_**The Fault in Our Stars**_**. If you could help her and leave some advice or say how her fic is going in a review, she will be very thankful! It's called "Give Him Love." Give her some constructive criticism, but no hate comments, please!**


	6. Embrace the Ice

**AN: So... I'm very sorry I hadn't updated for over a year! Two of our laptops broke, so I was unable to write. I've been trying to write on my phone or my ipad, but, I just can't get the same flow as I can with a keyboard and a screen. :/**

**But, now I have a working computer, and I can get back to this. **

**I don't own Bleach**

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><p><span>What If She Got Her Hand<span>

Chapter 6: "Embrace the Ice"

There was a lesson Rukia had learned, a few months back when she was stuck in the white tower. Byakuya may seem cold, aloof, and downright uninterested in the happenings that goes on around him. He may seem like he does not care about many things, be it little or huge. But, as Rukia had learned, Byakuya really does care.

He cares about Rukia's wellbeing. He cares about Rukia's interests. And he cares about her obsession with Chappy the Rabbit, going so far as to spend some time with her and help with her - as the humans called it - "fanart."

However, even with this knowledge, Rukia just can't see what her brother is thinking he can accomplish by killing her zanpakuto.

By killing her other half.

"Good evening, Kuchiki-dono."

"Ah," startled Rukia, whipping her gaze from the window to see the tall figure by her door, "Good evening to you, too, Hyourinmaru-san."

The broad man nodded his head once in acknowledgement. staring at Rukia's troubled eyes, "It is late. Should you not be sleeping?"

"I am aware of the time," Rukia said as she softly closed her eyes, just now realizing how emotionally worn out she felt, "However, I am not at all tired."

"As true as that may or may not be," Hyourinmaru started, also closing his eyes as he gathered his thoughts, "you will need the strength for when you decide to go after your zanpakuto."

At this, Rukia's eyes snapped open.

And she could have sworn she saw that hint of a smile that adorned the ice dragon's features just a mere few days ago.

"You..." Rukia started, unsure as to how to approach this topic. "How did you...?"

"Because you are like my master, Kuchiki-dono," Hyourinmaru replied with a hint of pride. "Both of you are as stubborn as the ice that clings protectively to your hearts. And when the ice suddenly cracks and chips away, you are not afraid to go after the pieces and embrace them."

Rukia continued to stare, unable to respond to Hyourinmaru.

A few seconds passed by with Hyourinmaru staring at Rukia, and Rukia trying to find the right words.

"I should be getting back to my master, now. Have a good night, Kuchiki-dono," Hyourinmaru said as he started out of the door.

"Thank you..." Rukia suddenly said, just before the zanpakuto left her. "Thank you, Hyourinmaru-san."

Without turning his head, Hyourinmaru nodded, "My master and I are right behind you."

And then he was gone.

Rukia turned to look back at the moon.

_'We embrace the ice, huh?' _

Rukia placed her hand ontop of her chest, a smile growing on her lips.

"Just wait, Sode no Shirayuki. I'm coming for you."

She lied down, her confident smile never faltering.

Closing her eyes, she dove head-first into the dark world, ready to take her nightmares head on.

_'I'm coming for you, too, Nii-sama.'_

**Sorry that practically nothing happened in here, and you're probably wondering what the heck happened before Ukitake showed up last chapter. I promise I'll get to that, I just wanted to see if I can get my flow back in this chapter.**

**Also, I'm not gonna update until I have the next two or three chapters written up, so that as an apology, I'll update those at the same time. I'm a little more than halfway done with chapter 7. So, let's hope I don't get distracted or something happens to the computer...**

**Oh, god, I hope that doesn't happen...**

**I suppose you could call this chapter a hello from me. :)**


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